For the time being, Yoru Machi planned to raise his adventurer rank, gather some funds, and then explore this world.
However, Shimada Yousuke intended to continue traveling around the world, so the two soon went their separate ways again.
It was worth mentioning that before they parted, another little incident occurred. They encountered a pair of siblings being attacked by half-beastmen on the road.
Seeing the siblings about to be driven into a corner, Yoru Machi had originally intended to step in. But before he could act, Shimada Yousuke beside him charged forward even faster.
What he had experienced in that village earlier had not discouraged the mentally resilient boy from another world in the slightest. He believed the way they had treated him had merely been an accident.
After all, the villagers had religious beliefs. Since he had violated their taboos, their treatment of him, while somewhat excessive, was still understandable.
This time, if he saved this pair of siblings from those vicious half-beastmen, wouldn't they be moved to tears with gratitude under the halo of a hero saving the beauty?
He could have dealt with the enemies from afar using magic, but this time Shimada Yousuke deliberately condensed a Sword of Light with light magic and swaggered forward to slaughter the monsters.
Seeing Shimada Yousuke fight for the first time, Yoru Machi began observing from the side.
According to Shimada Yousuke, his magic came from communicating with the Micro-spirits in the air and drawing upon their power.
The Sword of Light currently in Shimada Yousuke's hand, for example, was created using the power of the Light Spirits.
However, Yoru Machi also noticed something. Although Shimada Yousuke had used the Light Spirits' power to cast a seemingly cool light-sword spell, his actual swordsmanship could only be described as painfully terrible...
That was hardly surprising. The spirits could grant magic and strength, but they could not grant Shimada Yousuke skill. Before coming to this world, he had been nothing more than an ordinary seventeen-year-old shut-in.
Of course, with the sharp Sword of Light and the speed boost granted by the Wind Spirits, even if Shimada Yousuke possessed no technique whatsoever, killing a few low-level half-beastmen was no problem at all.
A streak of light flashed through the air. The thick wooden club that had been swinging down at the endangered siblings was instantly cleaved in two by the Sword of Light, along with the half-beastman holding it.
Seeing his companion slain, the other half-beastman, who had little intelligence to speak of, immediately let out a roar. Raising his club, he prepared to sweep Shimada Yousuke and the siblings off the cliff behind them in one blow.
However, just as the half-beastman raised his club high, a calm male voice came from the distance, accompanied by a bolt of white lightning roughly as thick as a baby's forearm.
"Hadō #4: White Lightning!"
Like a streak of swift lightning, the white bolt crossed dozens of meters at astonishing speed, accurately piercing through the half-beastman's head before finally dispersing into the sky.
The half-beastman whose head had been pierced still maintained his raised-club posture. But as a breeze swept past in the next moment, his huge body crashed to the ground, leaving a small scorched black hole between his brows.
"Miss, little brother, are you hurt?"
Because of the second half-beastman's attack just now, Shimada Yousuke had intended to use his body to shield the siblings before him. Naturally, he was now standing extremely close to them.
The sister from this unfortunate pair of siblings from another world looked to be around fourteen or fifteen, while the younger brother in her arms appeared to be only seven or eight.
"Thank you very much for saving us. My brother and I aren't— Ah! Half-beastman, don't come near me!"
Seeing the half-beastman collapse before them, the rescued siblings knew someone had saved them. Hearing the voice beside them, they immediately smiled and prepared to thank their benefactor.
However, when the girl looked up and saw the beastman-like face right before her, the smile on her face transformed in an instant into extreme panic and disgust!
Shimada Yousuke's looks had already been below average in this world. After starving for a week, his appearance had completely fallen to the same level as a half-beastman's.
Having looks on a half-beastman's level would have been one thing. With the bonus of heroically saving a beauty, Shimada Yousuke could at least have received a bit of a flattering filter. But to reassure the siblings before him, he insisted on forcing out what he thought was a gentle smile.
Good grief. With Shimada Yousuke's current looks, Yoru Machi truly could not see anything but sleaziness in that forced smile.
The siblings, whose nerves had already been shattered by being pursued by half-beastmen, saw Shimada Yousuke's "ill-intentioned" expression. The younger brother was immediately frightened into tears, while the girl, seemingly afraid he might do something to her, instinctively shoved Shimada Yousuke away in rejection.
The place where the three had been standing was at the edge of a cliff. The girl's defensive shove sent Shimada Yousuke straight over the precipice...
After doing that, the girl seemed to realize she had done something quite terrible. But when she remembered that sleazy face that had been so close to her, she kept consoling herself. "Even if that person wasn't an accomplice of the half-beastmen, he definitely wasn't a good person..."
As though he had heard the girl's muttering, Yoru Machi walked over from nearby and looked at the still-panicked siblings. "That person wasn't a half-beastman. He was my companion.
His appearance is a little bizarre, but he really did save you just now.
Don't you think what you just did was rather excessive toward someone who helped you?"
Hearing Yoru Machi's words, the girl froze for a moment before covering her face and bursting into tears again. Earlier, a group of half-beastmen had attacked her home. Her parents had tried to protect them as they fled, only to be torn to pieces by the half-beastmen. She herself had barely managed to escape here with her younger brother.
Because she had witnessed her home being destroyed, as well as the horrific sight of many young girls being ravaged by the half-beastmen, the girl had developed immense psychological trauma and fear toward them.
She had not wanted to push Shimada Yousuke off the cliff just now. It was simply that his face looked far too much like a half-beastman's, and she had only meant to push him away. She never expected to shove him down the mountain...
(PS: The siblings who appeared here were not the same pair from the original plot. That original pair of siblings were far too unreasonable!)
After understanding the full story and seeing the girl crying in remorse, Yoru Machi understood that her actions had not been intentional, but rather a self-defense instinct triggered by frayed nerves.
Shimada Yousuke was at fault too. He had no clue about his own looks, yet he wanted to reassure a terrified girl with a smile. Did he really think he had the potential to be some heartthrob?
Before you continue